Pac-Attack
Many pinball tables for Visual Pinball strive to make them as
realistic as possible. They really try to emulate an actual arcade pinball
table. But this table does not do this. Instead it tries and
successfully emulates a toy machine. I find this a nice change and has
made this a favorite of mine.
Visually, the game has a toy look to it. From the bright colors to the oversized bumpers and targets to the size of the playfield, it has the look and feel of a toy pinball table. Only it is unlike something that you would bring home as it is quality made. But I think you can understand what I am getting at. I think this adds to the charm of the game and makes it stand out. Graphically, the game is well done. It has a very clean look to it and alot of work went into make it appealing to the eye. Alot of nice little touches are found from the arcade game. If I had any complaint it would be that the side art is not as nice as the table. It isn't bad, just a bit plain compared to the table.
As you would expect from a Pac-man based pinball game, it features many sound effects from the arcade game. All the expected ones are here including the death sound when you lose a ball and the famous "wakka wakka" sound. There is enough sounds that there is no real dead silence that happens on some tables. It also is not overwhelming as some tables are also prone to. The sound effects are kept short so as not to overlap. This is a good example of good sound usage.
The gameplay is quite simple and it is part of the charm. It is a quick game and that is what you would expect from the kind of game it is trying to emulate. Games rarely last more than five minutes. There is not a ton of stuff to do but there is enough to keep you entertained. It is nice when you want a fast and fun game of pinball but do not have alot of time.
Pac-Attack stands out from other tables because it aims for a goal and succeeds. It does not try to be too much and in the end it is just right. Sometimes less is more and Pac-Attack is proof of that. Excuse me while I get another quick game in.